Final accounts Flashcards
Final accounts
legal requirement of financial statements that businesses have to fulfil at the end of a particular accounting period
role of final accounts
help with the organisation of the business since they include transactions, revenues and expenses, but also help inform internal and external stakeholders of the business situation
examples of internal stakeholders
shareholders, managers, employees
examples of external stakeholders
the Government, customers, suppliers, the local community etc.
purpose of final accounts for SHAREHOLDERS
Shareholders use the financial performance to decide on whether to keep their shares, sell them or maybe buy more.
They are also interested in the performance of the company’s directors to decide ways of motivation or maybe replace them.
purpose of final accounts for MANAGERS
- interested in the performance of the business for target setting ands strategic planning, alongside the firm’s efficiency
purpose of final accounts for EMPLOYEES
- interested in the performance for “job security” and possible increases in salaries
- could also lead to disputes and creation of unions, if the company is profitable and does not increase the employees’ salaries
purpose of final accounts for the GOVERNMENT
- interested in a business’s profitability for tax purposes
- to verify that the company is following the law
- in cases of big multinational companies, the Government expects an increase in employment
purpose of final accounts for the SUPPLIERS
- interested the the firm’s final accounts to ensure they get paid on time or to grant more credit if necessary
- if the firm has a debt to pay towards suppliers, then they can see if it will be possible to get paid or not
purpose of final accounts for CUSTOMERS
- interest to see if the firm keeps supplying the product
- gives them an idea to continue being customers of the firm or look for alternatives
purpose of final accounts for COMPETITORS
- to compare performances
- to compare sales revenues and level of profitability
purpose of final accounts for FINANCERS
- to verify if the business can pay back loans
purpose of final accounts for the LOCAL COMMUNITY
- if the business is profitable then it might create jobs and improve the living conditions of the local community
- if the business creates environmental issues then it will have. an negative impact on the local community
2 main final accounts
profit and loss account, balance sheet
profit and loss account (aka income statement)
shows the records of income and expenditure flows of a business over a given period of time
divided into 3 parts: a) the trading account, b) the profit and loss account or section, and c) the appropriation account
balance sheet (aka statement of financial position)
a financial statement that outlines the assets, liabilities and equity of a business at a specific point of time
a) the trading account
the first part of the income statement basically shows the difference for the business’s sales revenue and the cost of those sales for the business
a) trading account formulas
gross profit= sales revenue-cost of sales
costs of sales (COGS) = opening stock + purchases - closing stock
cost of goods sold (COGS)
the direct cost of producing or purchasing the goods that were sold during the period